With Vancouver Canucks GM Mike Gillis ‘consciously uncoupling’ from his coach John Tortorella to borrow Gwyneth Paltrow’s line in her breakup with Coldplay lead singer Chris Martin, one thing has always stuck out: how did the Aquilini family, owner of the team, give Torts a five-year contract worth $2-million a season when he was out of work and nobody else was banging down the door to hire him?

Funny thing: Torts hasn’t been the least bit combative with the media in Vancouver, changing his persona totally from his days coaching the New York Rangers, but he can’t change the way he coaches and that’s blocked shots, blood ‘n guts effort and 2-1 games, albeit after Henrik Sedin went down, he admitted he stuck with that too long.

Gillis will stay, hire the man who had two interviews last summer, Los Angeles Kings assistant John Stevens, and Torts will get an $8-million golden parachute.

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Barrie Colts captain Aaron Ekblad is expected to be a high pick in the 2014 NHL entry draft.

Much histrionics in some quarters about the Edmonton Oilers moving back to No. 3 slot in the draft with the Florida Panthers No. 2 and possibly losing out on blue-chip prospect defenceman Aaron Ekblad.

But people forget this: The Panthers have two very good D-man prospects at Boston College (who are in the Frozen Four) — Michael Matheson, a Duncan Keith-type puck-mover, and 230-pound Ian McCoshen, a two-way kid.

Florida needs wingers more, and they could easily go for the Oshawa Generals’ Michael Dal Colle or Peterborough Petes power forward Nick Ritchie at No. 2.

Florida doesn’t need centres, for sure.

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Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Randy Carlyle gives his team instructions in January 2014.

Betting is he’s out of work, but while he’s got the Manitoba Moose connections with the Jets’ people, Winnipeg likes Paul Maurice. So we’ll see.

Bigger question is who the Leafs would get as coach. Has to be high-profile to coach in Toronto.

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Johnny Gaudreau of the Boston College Eagles, right, battles members of the Ferris State Bulldogs during the NCAA Division 1 Men’s Hockey Championship Game at the Tampa Bay Times Forum on April 7, 2012, in Tampa, Florida.

I know Boston College’s Johnny Gaudreau, the likely Hobey Baker winner as the NCAA’s best talent, is pint-sized, but I can’t imagine the Calgary Flames not pushing to sign him soon even if he doesn’t fit team president Brian Burke’s big-man’s game model.

His college coach, Jerry York — who’s had Nathan Gerbe, Brian Gionta and Cam Atkinson, all smurfs but solid NHLers, on his watch — swears by the 155-pound Gaudreau, which is good enough for me, although York concedes he doesn’t know of any player who’s ever weighed in under 160 pounds.

“He’s tiny, but I think you have to get him there and see what he can do,” said one amateur scout, who admits to some reservations.

“He’s small like Nathan Gerbe, but Gerbe is thicker. And Tyler Ennis is small, but he’ll take on anybody — it never enters his mind he’s 165 pounds.”

Gaudreau could walk away after his fourth year at Boston College and not sign with Calgary, taking the free-agent route like Justin Schultz, but he’s been to three Flames prospect camps on his dime.

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Anaheim Ducks forward Teemu Selanne skates against the Washington Capitals at Anaheim’s Honda Center on March 18, 2014. Selanne will retire after the 2013-14 season.

Now that we’re seeing Teemu Selanne’s final NHL lap, who does he say gave him the most grief as an opponent?

“Chris Pronger. He could be mean. We had lots of battles. He’d be yapping every game, dirty stuff, but it was fun to have him as a teammate,” said Selanne.

“The day we got Pronger in a trade, I had a big smile on my face. I knew he was the missing part to us winning the Cup.

“(Chris) Chelios, too. He wasn’t as physical as Pronger, but he was smart. And one player who was really tough was (Vladimir) Konstantinov. He was a little scary. You didn’t want to turn your back.

“It was so sad to hear what happened to him (limo accident). He was so strong. I had so much respect for all of them.”

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UMass-Lowell defenceman Christian Folin signed a contract with the Minnesota Wild in March 2014.

The Minnesota Wild had a leg up on signing the best college free-agent available this spring, Christian Folin (UMass-Lowell).

The Swede’s first stop on the U.S. junior circuit North American Hockey League was Austin, Minn.

His agent, former NHL forward Dan Plante, is based in Minnesota.

The Oilers wanted him badly, but so did most of the league.

“I don’t think he’s as good as skater as (Danny) DeKeyser (Detroit got him last spring as a free-agent) but Folin can really shoot. He shoots it like Shea Weber, same release, and he’s right-handed,” said an NHL scout.

“The feeling is the Wild sold Folin on being on the team next season or at least getting a very good shot at it.”

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Toronto Maple Leafs forward David Clarkson skates against the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden on March 5, 2014.

David Clarkson is going to get his money, no matter what, because it’s mostly signing bonus in the seven-year deal and buyout proof, but he’s the poster boy for The Grass Is Not Greener On The Other Side.

In terms of angst, he should have stayed where he was way more comfortable, albeit it for less money, as a third-line winger in New Jersey.

Now, at $5.25 million (first year of a seven-year deal), he’s asked to play above his station in life in Toronto and he’s failed miserably.

Same thing happened to Luke Richardson, the ultimate defensive hard-rock blueliner who left the Oilers for the Philadelphia Flyers at $4-million per season for four seasons in the late 1990s and Flyer fans carped he brought them no offence.

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New York Rangers TV colourman Joe Micheletti attends the Annual Charity Day Hosted By Cantor Fitzgerald And BGC at the Cantor Fitzgerald Office on September 11, 2013, in New York.

Rangers TV colourman Joe Micheletti, a former WHA Oilers defenceman whose daughter Allison is married to Mike Modano, is broadcasting hurt. He tore his Achilles a couple of weeks ago.

“Two-on-two basketball game in Carolina,” said Micheletti, who is on crutches and could be doing double duty in the playoffs working for MSG (the Rangers’ carrier) and NBC.

If it’s NBC, he’ll have to stand between the two benches. Tough chore.

Modano and Allison, a pro golfer, are expecting twins this summer.

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– The Oilers are very high on their college defenceman signing, Jordan Oesterle. Oilers vice-president of hockey operations Scott Howson tracked him for months at Western Michigan. One game, he tracked his touches with the puck, and of the 58, 53 turned out to be very good, and they weren’t all 10-foot passes. His best attribute is his skating, though, He’s got NHL wheels.

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